The
Nashville Predators play in the Central Division of the Western
Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). This year, All-Star
defenseman Kimmo Timonen, All-Star goaltender Tomas Vokoun &
newly acquired marquee left wing Paul Kariya look to ignite Nashville
on a return to playoff action.
The Name: Predators was chosen to complement the team logo,
an image of a saber-toothed tiger. In May of 1971, excavation
began at the downtown Nashville site of what today is the 28-story
First American Center. Construction workers drilled through 20
feet of solid rock before coming to a soft muddy area. Further
digging revealed a cave containing the nine-inch fang and a foreleg
bone of a saber-toothed tiger, extinct for at least 10,000 years!
The team colors are orange, gold, silver, and blue.
History:
On June 25, 1997, the Predators joined the NHL when the league
announced that four cities had been awarded expansion franchises:
Nashville; Atlanta, Georgia; Columbus, Ohio; and Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Businessman Craig Leipold is the majority owner of the
Predators and serves as the team’s chairman and chief executive
officer. Davie Poile, former general manager of the Washington
Capitals, is the team’s general manager.
Coach: Barry
Trotz is the Predators’ head coach. Previously, Trotz coached
the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League to the Calder
Cup during the 1994-95 season. That same year he was named AHL
coach of the year.
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